Malaysia's Najib questioned over French submarine deal

Fallen Malaysian leader Najib Razak is being questioned over the purchase of two French-made submarines, an official told AFP Tuesday, the latest probe to engulf the former prime minister since his government's ousting.

Najib, his wife and key allies have been been hit with a flurry of charges since his surprise election loss earlier this year as public anger crescendoed over a series of graft scandals.

Most of the charges have stemmed from the 1MDB scandal where top officials allegedly looted billions from a government fund to go on a worldwide spending spree.

But the latest probe centres on a controversial $1.2 billion deal signed sixteen years ago when Najib was defence minister to purchase two Scorpene-class submarines.

"Najib is being probed with regards to the purchase of the two Scorpene-class submarines," an official inside the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) familiar with the ongoing probe, told AFP.

French submarine maker -- then called DCNS -- is alleged to have paid more than 114 million euros ($134 million) in kickbacks to a shell company linked to Abdul Razak Baginda, a close Najib associate who brokered the deal.

Razak Baginda's Mongolian mistress Altantuya Shaariibuu, who was said to have demanded a cut for translating during negotiations, was shot dead and her body blown up with military-grade plastic explosives near Kuala Lumpur in 2006.

The case sank off the radar after a Malaysian court in 2008 cleared Razak Baginda of abetting the murder, sparking allegations of a huge cover-up to protect Najib.